CINCINNATI -- Police had to wade through fake addresses and false leads before they located a 4-year-old Delhi boy who had been missing for over a week.
Officials found Jaeden McClure in South Carolina Thursday after the boy’s father, Jasper Pickett, told police he was in Greenville.
Lt. Joe Macaluso said the family told police they hadn’t seen the boy in a while, but police were led in different directions when it came to the boy's whereabouts.
“‘He may be with so and so. He may be over here. He may be in South Carolina’ … in the end, dad provided the information to us that led us to Jaeden. However, we felt it was a difficult road to get where we are at,” Macaluso said.
Job and Family Services claimed custody over the boy July 9, when police discovered his mother suffering from an overdose in the family's Pedretti Avenue home. When they returned to remove him from that home the next day, he was gone.
Pickett and the boy’s mother, Misty McClure, are each charged with interference with custody.
Trula McClure, the boy’s great grandmother, said she was heartbroken over Jaeden’s disappearance, and she is relieved that he was found.
“It was joy beyond words knowing that he was alright and that they had found him and he was in good shape,” she said. “Yes, it was joy unspeakable.”
Macaluso said the Delhi Township Police Department feels the same.
These are the stories that unfortunately from time to time we hear of bad outcomes. We're very happy that this is a safe and happy outcome,” Macaluso said.
Jaeden will be in the temporary custody of Hamilton County Job and Family Services when he returns from South Carolina.
